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Scitech Breakthroughs RSS Feed from ABC Goldfields-Esperance2011, Australian Broadcasting Corporationen-au15Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:21:00 +1100Trench warfare against blackleg in canolahttp://www.abc.net.au/rural/wa/content/2011/02/s3141851.htm?site=esperance&source=rss
A major fungal disease of canola is much less likely to cause crop failure in future.
Researchers have sequenced the genome of the fungus which causes blackleg, and are using the data collected to develop canola cultivars which can resist the disease.
Given the right conditions the stubble borne fungus can devastate large areas of canola, costing growers millions.
Professor Richard Oliver from Curtin University says the pathogen can overcome resistance that's present in a current canola cultivar very quickly.
"When the plant's resistance breaks down, you get an epidemic so the real advantage of this is that we are now in a position to monitor the pathogen population.
"We can see how it is evolving and be in a position to evaluate whether a cultivar is at risk of it's resistance breaking down or not."
Professor Oliver says the work doesn't mean scientists will ever be able to wipe out the blackleg disease entirely but having the genome sequenced will lead to a reduction in the peaks and troughs of disease outbreaks.
"Instead of having a really good few years following by a disaster, we will have a uniform and hopefully quite low level of disease.
"We can monitor that and if it looks like the amount of disease is heading upwards, we can swap some of the cultivars around and bring the disease back to an acceptable level."
"The principal is to try and keep a kind of trench warfare whereby neither the pathogen or the plant loses out entirely."Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:21:00 +1100\xmlcontent\201102\3141851.xmlABC Goldfields-EsperanceesperancewheatbeltRural:All:AllRural:Agribusiness:AllRural:Agricultural Crops:AllRural:Agricultural Crops:OilseedsScience and Technology:All:AllScience and Technology:Breakthroughs:AllScience and Technology:Genetics:AllScience and Technology:Research Organisations:AllAustralia:WA:Esperance 6450Australia:WA:Geraldton 6530